Who owns 69 Patriot missiles seized in Finland?

Beijing denies that weapons and 150 tons of explosive material were destined for China

msnbc.com news services
updated 12/23/2011 5:37:05 AM ET2011-12-23T10:37:05

China denied on Friday any link to a batch of 69 Patriot missiles confiscated by Finnish authorities, saying the weapons were destined for South Korea.

"As far as we know these goods were made in Germany and were being sent to South Korea," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a daily news briefing. "This is a British ship which left Germany carrying Patriotmissiles for South Korea."

Some reports have alleged the missiles were destined for China, but Liu said that was not the case.
"I don't see what connection this boat has with China. We think it odd that some people always link certain things to China. The facts are all very clear," he added.

The surface-to-air missiles were found on Wednesday when authorities searched the cargoship Thor Liberty in Kotka, southern Finland. They also discovered 150 tons of explosive material called nitroguanidine, which was not stowed properly.

Markku Koskinen, the director of traffic operations at the port of Kotka, said they were deficiently packed in wooden boxes on open pallets and would be moved to metal containers in line with rules on the maritime transport of explosives.

Finnish authorities confiscated the missiles found on the ship and arrested its Ukrainian captain and chief officer on suspicion of trying to transport the missiles via Finland without permission.

"The missiles did not have the appropriate transit papers," Detective Superintendent Timo Virtanen said.

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Finland requires those seeking to transport defense material via its territory to seek permission. In the past six years there have been 20 cases of defense material being transported without the required documentation with the latest incident appearing to be one of the largest consignments.

A spokesman for Germany's DefenseMinistry told The Associated Press on Thursday that the missiles were an official shipment that was fully declared and had all necessary clearings from German authorities. He also said they were being transported to South Korea.

The ship was sailing under an Isle of Man flag and had stopped to load anchor cables on board.
China is subject to an arms embargo by the United States and European Union imposed after the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators around Beijing'sTiananmenSquare in 1989.

American-made Patriot missiles are used to counter threats, including aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. They are part of the U.S. Army's weaponry and were extensively used during the 1991 Gulf war.

Manufactured by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Florida, Patriot missiles have been in service in several countries, including Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and South Korea.

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